Contributing factors to preschool unintentional injury.

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability for preschoolers in the United States. Young children suffer disproportionate morbidity and mortality when injured. Pediatric nurses modify injury risk through injury prevention strategies and child and family education. Effective injury prevention programs cannot be designed, implemented, or evaluated without a fundamental understanding of the factors that contribute to the phenomenon of preschool unintentional injury. This article includes a discussion of the factors that contribute to preschool unintentional injury occurrence and is based on a combination of epidemiology theory and the health belief model. Evidence-based suggestions for modification of nursing practice are provided.